The Promise

The uplifting third romance in Davids’s Amish of Cedar Grove series (after The Hope) explores the differing paths of a pair of Amish brothers. When ailing Henrietta Raber announces to her adult sons, Lev and Isaac, that she is moving from their community in Lancaster, Pa., back to her birthplace of Cedar Grove, Kan., they reluctantly agree to go with her despite their conflicting desires: Levi hopes to continue raising racehorses on his late father’s Lancaster farm; Isaac dreams of marrying Brittany, an Englisch woman, and struggles with committing to the Amish faith. Eager to see her boys settled, Henrietta offers ownership of her Cedar Grove farm to whichever son marries first. Levi pushes Isaac into a romance with their childhood friend Sarah Yoder, hoping that if Isaac and Sarah marry, Henrietta will be appeased and he’ll be able to return to Lancaster. Sarah’s eager to marry, but Isaac is still hung up on thoughts of Brittany. As Sarah grows closer to the entire Yoder family, it’s Levi who develops feelings for the charming, self-assured heroine. Their love triangle is handled with subtlety and compassion, leaving all three in the reader’s good graces. This cozy contemporary will have fans of Amish romance eager to read more from Davids. Agent: Pamela Hopkins, Hopkins Literary. (June)